


and i'll leave what i'm chasing

by smallredboy



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Coming Out, Crying, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-09 13:44:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19477099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallredboy/pseuds/smallredboy
Summary: Rachel is fifteen and she's got something to tell her mom.





	and i'll leave what i'm chasing

**Author's Note:**

> for gen prompt bingo w/ the square "kitchen junk drawer".
> 
> title from _class of 2013_ by mitski.
> 
> enjoy!

Cuddy has the day off.

That is a miracle within itself, granted, considering she’s still a doctor. But she’s no longer Dean of Medicine— sure, the pay is less, but now she can actually focus on something other than work. Specifically her daughter, fifteen years old and growing so fast. 

She loves Rachel. She loves Rachel more than she’s ever loved anyone before. More than any ex, more than any kid she got attached to while looking for one to adopt— Rachel is perfect. She’s glad she’s away from Princeton now, away from all the stress and with Rachel being barely old enough to remember the disasters of her early life.

She’s looking through the kitchen drawers, fully intenting to make her daughter a little graduation gift. She’s going for her sophomore year! She’s grown so much! She smiles as she tries to find the goddamn measuring cups, humming quietly to herself as she fixes the apron she’s got on.

“Mom!” Rachel says as she steps down the stairs and heads to the kitchen.

She closes the drawer and turns to look at her. “Hi sweetie, what’s up?”

Rachel’s uncharacteristically nervous, she immediately notices that much. Her eyes are a little downcast and she’s fiddling with her hands, shifting her weight in between her feet. She rarely sees Rachel practically radiating nerves and fear— she hopes there’s nothing wrong.

“I need to tell you something,” she settles on. “Can we go sit down?”

Cuddy smiles and follwos her lead to the living room, sitting down and holding her hands gently. She’s wearing an oversized cardigan on top of a gray t-shirt, blue men’s jeans that fit her quite nicely. When she bought them, Rachel had insisted it was simply because of the pocket size, even though Cuddy hadn’t ever questioned why she would want men’s pants.

“You can tell me anything, honey,” Cuddy tells her kindly.

Rachel swallows thickly. “You promise?” she asks softly.

The way she asks breaks her, makes her want to envelop her in her arms— she wants to hug her so impossibly tight, until all her worries dissipate, until she can be sure that she’ll listen to her. “Of course, Rachel,” she says, squeezing her hand. “I promise.”

She blinks— Cuddy can see tears in her eyes. “I’m—” she chokes on it, like she can’t say it. “I don’t like— I don’t want— I don’t like boys.”

Oh.

Cuddy’s eyes fill up with tears too, she can’t help but shed them, a quiet sob leaving her mouth. She can’t formulate words for a second or two, until she sees the sheer panic in Rachel’s eyes, the way she pulls her hands away—

“That’s okay, baby,” she tells her. “That’s completely okay.”

Rachel looks up at her, speechless, her mouth open a little in surprise. “Mom—”

“Can I hug you, baby?” she asks, sobs still leaving her mouth. Because there’s nothing like the feeling of knowing your child thinks your love for her is conditional.

Rachel nods and she hugs her, as hard, as tight as she can.

“I was going to make you a cake,” she stammers. “For your graduation. But I think I can make it fit for this occasion, too.”

A sob bubbles up right out of Rachel’s throat as she clings to her. “Mom,” she sobs out.

“I know, baby,” she tells her, because she knows, she knows what it’s like to be afraid of your parents. Of their conditional love. Of the fact you could tell them something vital about yourself and that their reaction could be terrible. “I know. Shh.”

And she knows as she holds her baby.

**Author's Note:**

> i kept cuddy's sexuality ambiguous but she Does get her baby. if that is because she's bi, pan or a lesbian as well, that's up to you!
> 
> i hope you liked it! please kudo or comment if you did :)


End file.
